Crazy Times in the Lives of a Few
by dramafreakx2
Summary: Sequel to Finding Salvation and Searching for Repentance. The Echolls family looks back on the life of their beloved matriarch.


Title: Falling  
Spoilers: Up to the end of season 2 to be safe but very AU  
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this fanfiction belong to Rob Thomas and his creative team at The C.W./U.P.N. The story is my own creative work and my intention is to pay homage to the universe they created, not to profit from it.

* * *

"Mom, tell us a story about Grandma," Morgan asked her mom. Melanie looked at her wearingly but obliged nonetheless.

"Your grandmother was amazing woman," Melanie said, "she loved to solve mysteries and she was extremely good at it. You remember your great uncle Duncan?"

Morgan nodded and looked at her mom with an eager apprehension.

"She helped to solve the murder of his sister, her best friend."

"Cool," James said. "Did she ever shoot anyone?"

"James," Melanie exclaimed shocked that he would ask her a thing like that. "Your Grandma would never kill anyone. She didn't go around with a gun on her, but she did have a taser."

"Cool," James exclaimed again and Morgan looked at him with a look of exasperation. "I bet that she used that."

Melanie laughed. "Yes, quite a few times. She even used it on your dad once."

"Really!" Morgan and James exclaimed at once.

"Yeah, he was sneaking into the house through my bedroom window. Nonetheless, your Grandma was very involved with everything that went on in her house. She ran into my room with her taser and used it not knowing that it was your dad. Even after she found out, she wasn't apologetic. She wanted to know why in the world he was sneaking into my window, and he couldn't give her a good answer. Like your typical Grandma, she kicked him out of the house head first. I never thought that your Grandma would ever let me see him again, but he got back into her good graces again by sending her food. He sure knew the way to get a Mars woman to like him, and afterwards, she couldn't have wanted me to get married to him fast enough so that he would buy her more food."

"But, Mom, I though that you always said that Grandma was thin," Morgan asked.

"Sweetie, she was thin. That was one of the amazing things about her. She was able to eat whatever she wanted and never gain a pound. If only, I had a metabolism like her, but no, I inherited your Grandpa's. I have to exercise to keep off the fat."

"Did I hear my name?" Logan said standing in the doorway and moments later, Morgan and James were jumping into his arms. "And how are my two favorite grandkids?"

"Grandpa, you are silly," James said, "We are your only grandkids."

"But that doesn't make you guys, not my favorite," he said as he gave Melanie a bear hug. "How are you doing honey? How's my favorite baby doing?" he asked pointing to her tummy.

"I'm doing fine, Dad. I still have two more months to go."

"Just don't overexert yourself okay?" Melanie nodded. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Grandma had a taser," James said as a matter of a factly.

"Your mom told you about that?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, she also told us that she used it on Dad once," Morgan added.

With that, Logan burst out laughing. "Yes, she did. Good times," he said to Melanie and she nodded.

"Grandpa, tell us something else about Grandma," James said.

"Your Grandma was a great photographer. She used to take pictures of almost everything, including the first time that I gave your mom a bath."

"Ew," Morgan exclaimed. "Why would Grandma want to take naked pictures of Mom?"

"Well, you have to remember that your mom was a baby at that time and that your Grandma was a very special woman," Logan said as he though back to the past.

_"Veronica, why are you taking pictures of me washing Melanie?" Logan asked incredulously._

_"It's an important part of her life, Logan. Don't you realize that?" Veronica countered._

_"Well, yes, I get that, but don't you think that she is going to be mad at you when she finds out about the pictures later on in her life. Think about what her kids would say if they ever found them," Logan said with the same amount of energy._

_"Logan, with a father like you, Melanie is not getting married until she is at least 30 and god forbid, that you will ever even let her have kids. You would never want her to have sex," she said sticking her tongue out to prove her point had value._

_"You watch it, Mrs. Echolls," Logan said, "You may be rethinking your position later," he said with a wink._

"Grandpa," James said, "did Mom ever do anything cool like Grandma?"

'Well, your mom did do some interesting things when she was younger, but I don't think that any of them could compare to your grandma's actions. There was one time when your mom tried to run away when your grandma told her that she was not allowed to play with her Barbie's anymore."

"That's not fair, Grandpa. I don't know what I would do without my Barbie's," Morgan interjected.

"Well, your grandma wanted to show your mom here that there was more to life than Barbie's. She thought that she was becoming too much of a girl."

Morgan looked at him agape. Anyone that took away her Barbie's would be giving them back with just her head tilt.

"I know, Morgan, but your grandma wanted your mom to start to play with real things like cameras and she got your mom her first spy kit."

"Cool," James remarked. "Mom, why haven't you gotten me one of those yet?"

"Well, James, your mom didn't think that it was so cool. In fact, she threw it right back in her face and your Grandma had absolutely no idea about why your mom didn't appreciate the gift. She thought that her daughter would always want to be a miniature her. However, your mom did take some of my traits after all. She ran away claiming that she didn't feel loved by your grandma because she was taking away the one thing that she loved and replacing it with a "stupid spy kit" as your mom called it. Needless to say, your mom was grounded for at least a month when she came home. I don't think that your grandma ever questioned your mom again about her Barbie's."

"Grandpa, that story is boring. Don't you have anything better?" James asked.

"Of course, I do sport," Logan said as Melanie gave James an exasperated glare. "Your grandma once planted a bong in my locker in our junior year of high school."

"Grandpa, what is a bong?" Morgan asked.

"Sweetie, all that you need to know is that it is a not a good thing. I had to go to jail because of it and it made me really mad at your grandma."

"But Grandpa, I thought that you loved Grandma. Why would you get mad at her and why would she do bad things to you?" Morgan asked.

"Honey, your grandma and I loved each other very much. We just fought sometimes. Anyways to get back at your grandma, I smashed the headlights on her car. Needless to say, she was very upset with me."

"Cool, Grandpa," James said. "Mom, why didn't you tell us about that?"

"I didn't think that it was something that you needed to know, sweetheart. I know that you don't like to hear adults fight."

"But, Mom, that was a fight about something actually meaningful," James countered.

"Are you telling me when I fight with your dad about whether or not you can play paintball is not meaningful?" Melanie inquired.

"Of course, it is, Mom, but it is fight that it is not worth fighting for."

Melanie looked at James with a menacing look. "So would you just rather not play paintball altogether? Then me and you dad would not have to fight about it."

With that, James shut up. He loved playing paintball more than anything.

Logan laughed. "James, you really do remind me of your grandma sometimes. You are always so feisty."

Melanie just shook her head. "Don't give him any ideas, Dad," she said.

"Mom, Mom! Tell us more about Grandma!" Morgan yelled. She was starting to get bored.

"Take a chill pill, Morgan," Melanie said and then smiled, going back to the past.

_"Melanie Lily Echolls, if you don't come back here this minute," Veronica yelled after Melanie._

_Melanie had just been caught with kissing a boy, a very special boy, Josh Casablancas, the one and only child of Dick Casablancas and Madison Sinclair. There could be no person that could be a worst influence for Melanie._

_Melanie reluctantly walked back over to her mom. "What's the big deal, Mom? I just kissing a friend?"_

_"A friend!" Veronica yelled. "Josh Casablancas is not your friend. Josh Casablancas is not anyone's friend. If he is anyone friend, he is just trying to get into someone's pants, just like his parents did when they were younger and are still trying to do now with their numerous botox injections! How stupid could you be?"_

_"Mom, I'm not stupid. Josh and I have a good time together. He makes me laugh. Can't you just accept that? Don't you want me to be happy?"_

_"Of course, I want to be happy, sweetie, but I don't think that Josh is going to make you happy. He is just going to break your heart and you're my baby, Melanie, I don't want to see you hurt."_

_"But, Mom," Melanie said moving closer to her mother, "Josh isn't like his parents. He spends most of his time with his Uncle Cassidy, a prominent realtor. He knows that his parents have made mistakes in their lives and he is using his Uncle Cassidy as his role model."_

_"Well, Cassidy Casablancas, is a decent guy," Veronica said slowly evaluating the situation. "If it makes you happy, you can stay with him. Although I want to meet this kid and have a talk with Cassidy. Do you got that?"_

_Melanie jumped up and down. "Of course, Mom, he will not let you down."_

"And surprisingly enough, Josh Casablancas did not let me or your grandma down. He was a charming young kid. If only your mom had stayed him for more than two months," Logan said.

"Hey, Dad, he wasn't cutting it and I needed to find someone to pick up the slack, but you and Mom certainly did put him through the paces. I think that Josh might have been glad that I broke up with him because it meant that he would near have to see you or Mom again," Melanie replied jokingly.

"You, know, I saw Josh a couple of weeks ago with a couple of rugrats. He was very nice to me. I think that he may have thought that I had a taser with me or something," Logan replied.

Morgan sighed happily. She wished that someday she could be as cool as her mom was when she was younger.

All of sudden, James yawned.

"I think that someone is ready to go to bed," Melanie said, "and you too, Morgan."

"But, Mom, I'm not sleepy," Morgan whined.

"Nonetheless, it is past your bed time," Melanie replied taking nothing for an answer.

She ushered the kids of upstairs. "I'll be back down in a little while," Melanie shouted to her dad. Logan just nodded.

About an hour later, Melanie came back downstairs. "How are you holding up?" Melanie asked her dad.

"It will always been hard for me without your mom, sweetie. She was the other half of me that made me whole. Now, it just feels like half of me is gone along with her. I miss her so much."

"I miss her too, Dad. Sometimes, I feel like calling Mom to tell her something, but then I remember that I can't because she is gone."

Logan pulled Melanie into him to tuck her under his arm. "She loved you so much, you know. You were her entire world."

"Sometimes, I feel like I have disappointed her in some way because I never had a passion for detective work or anything related to the field. I was supposed to be the miniature her in a way, but I wasn't. I had different interests."

"Honey, that did not make her love you any less. She loved you so much. She would have anything for you. In the end, she realized that you needed to be your individual person and I think that it made her love you even more," Logan said consolingly.

Logan and Melanie sat together for a few moments. "Sweetie, I have to go home now. I don't want to drive home to late," Logan said and Melanie nodded.

With that, Melanie and Logan both got up. "You know, Melanie, if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm here. You and my grandkids are my entire world."

"I love you, Dad," she said as she walked towards the door.

"Tell the kids that I love them," Logan said and with that he walked out the door.

Melanie watched her Dad pull out of the driveway and drive away. Melanie closed her door and walked back into her kitchen. She buried her head in her hands. She knew that she was always going to miss her mother, but she had the crazy memories of her and her parents and she knew that with these memories that she would always remember her.

* * *

Please leave me some feedback by clicking on the little blue button. Thank you. I always want to know how to make my work better! 


End file.
